Establishing a Standard Vocabulary for Career Exploration

Establishing a Standard Vocabulary for Career Exploration

2 | The VitaNavis Platform

In an ideal world, high schoolers and undergraduate students would

complete their education equipped not only with academic abilities, but a

clear path to pursue in the world of work. Having collaborated with career

counselors, academic advisers, and student services staff, they would

understand their personalities and interests well enough to choose an

appropriate career path, one that satisfies them and motivates them to

strive for success. In short, they would know enough about themselves to

find academic paths and future careers that suit them.

Unfortunately, this idyllic scene is far from the truth for millions of

students in America. A 2018 survey found that a meager one-third of

college students “feel prepared for the job market and workplace.”1

Similarly, a paltry 35.5 percent of high school students “used counseling

about future career possibilities,”2 with most not even realizing they should

consider this option when envisioning their futures. In an increasingly

competitive, varied, and potentially confusing working world, students

are exiting high school and college without the proper tools to find their

professional place.

This is particularly tragic, since, when studied, students “who have

identified a career path for themselves [feel] twice as prepared for their

futures as those who are unsure of their path.”3 When left to assess their

career possibilities alone, students wind up bewildered. However, with

the right assistance, they can work with a counselor, student services

representative, or administrator to determine a clear direction for

their careers. The problem is that students aren’t reaching out to these

professional advisors, and, even when they do, these departments often

struggle to help them.

Underfunded, overextended, and underappreciated, it’s no wonder that

most career counseling programs are treading water today. At small, well-

staffed schools, counseling departments find it difficult to draw students

in, and at larger educational institutions, the demand may be higher, but

there aren’t enough resources to support it. Counseling struggles to find

its place at schools of all sizes, suggesting that the field itself must be


reshaped. In order to transform this discipline, we must identify the crux

of its issues.

The biggest hurdle by far in career counseling is the fact that no one

seems to speak the same language. Myriad ideologies, technologies, and

perspectives make it difficult, if not impossible, for students and advisors

to understand each other. This lack of common familiarity and language

presents a challenge in supporting discussions with students about his

or her future. For example, what a student means by “leadership” may

be a world away from the way a counselor uses this word. Left with this

ambiguity, students and mentors misunderstand each other, become

frustrated, and fail to achieve their shared goal of finding a student’s ideal

place in the working world.

The solution to this counseling conundrum is simple, yet powerful.

Supplied with a standard vocabulary with which to engage students,

career, admissions, and academic counselors can fully understand a

student’s proclivities and use these to collaboratively design his or her

ambitions. In the following pages, we’ll dive deeper into the

problems plaguing this field and explain our strategies for

resolving them.

CHALLENGES IN CAREER COUNSELING Although not all carry the official title of “career

counselor,” many education professionals work

in this capacity. Career counseling is simply the

process of speaking with and guiding a student

regarding his or her occupational future. While

an official career counselor might do this, it could

also be the job of a student services representative,

admissions counselor (if the student’s future involves

further schooling), or academic advisor (since many jobs

require having completed specific degrees or courses). Furthermore,


those who manage career counseling also impact this field. For this reason,

CAOs (Chief Academic Officers), Chiefs of Student Services, and other

executives at educational institutions are also intimately involved with

career counseling.

Regardless of their specific relationship to this field or job title, all

professionals in this area struggle with particular problems in this day

and age. Facing a changing digital job market, disinterested students, and

scattered standards, it’s a difficult time to work in career counseling.

First of all, aligning a student with an appropriate career path can feel

like a constantly moving target. Even back in 1999, it was reported: “As

the youth of today strive to find places for themselves in the world of

work, they are faced with considering not only the kind of job they will

hold, but also the kind of work environment which will provide them

personal satisfaction and growth. Also, as the world of work becomes

more complex, and technologically dynamic, the career decision-making

Ireh, Maduakolam. 2000. The High School Journal.

“As the world of work becomes more complex, and technologically dynamic, the career decision-making processes the youth undergo also become much more complex.”

processes the youth undergo also become much more complex.”4 In the

last two decades, the world of work has grown even more complicated.

Exponential technological advancement and an uncertain economy can

make finding career solutions for today’s youth seem a bit like staring into

a cloudy crystal ball.

Compounding this quandary is the fact that most students don’t feel

confident in their schools’ career counseling, so they simply don’t go. As

mentioned above, fewer than 36 percent of high schoolers go see their

career counselors, and, when they do, they only rate this department’s


usefulness at a 3.89 out of 5.5 Unfortunately, undergraduate students

aren’t much better about actually using their career counseling options.

In a recent survey of more than 11,000 college students, a staggering

“six in 10 recent graduates said they never visited the career office as

an undergraduate.” For those that did use these resources, “fewer than

half...found the career center helpful or very helpful.”6 Of course, it’s

impossible to improve the quality of career counseling for students that

just aren’t there.

When students do show up for advice, however, they aren’t all equally

catered to, and some suffer as a result. Certain types of youth have

been found to be underserved by career, admissions, and academic

counseling services. For example, a study published in Professional School

Counseling found that college-bound high schoolers were prioritized over

work-bound youth when it came to career readiness skills. The authors

of this article explained: “The finding that the counselors perceived a

greater need for college-bound students to be able to locate, evaluate,

and act upon information about further education appears, at least at a

superficial level, to be logical since these students will be participating in

post-secondary education after graduation.”

In short, the current counseling system is set up to serve students

planning to attend college. With such limited time available and pressure

put on getting high schoolers into universities, many advisors focus on

teaching college-bound pupils about their educational opportunities

beyond high school, unfortunately leaving others at a disadvantage.

This, however, isn’t actually a successful strategy for advising students

on their educational and occupational futures. In contrast, researchers

found: “Continuous learning is an integral component of career success

for both work- and college-bound students. All secondary students, not

just those who anticipate attending college, must be proficient at how

and where to seek information related to their ongoing training and

professional development needs.”7

Every student must be able to understand his or her aspirations and

seek out opportunities to pursue them accordingly. The fact that many

Researchers found that students’ interests are:

35.4% predictive of degree attainment

21.7% predictive of college persistence

26.6% predictive of grades in college



high school students never make it to college makes this all the more

important. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in April 2018 that only

“66.7 percent of 2017 high school graduates age 16 to 24 were enrolled

in colleges or universities.”8 In short, career counseling struggles to serve

a full one-third of its intended audience. This sobering statistic is a clear

sign this system must be improved. Furthermore, the job of all career

counseling departments is to foster lifelong learning, encouraging the

pursuit of knowledge outside of postsecondary education.

These are all fundamental flaws in contemporary counseling, but

highlighting these programs’ imperfections does no good without

understanding why they operate non-optimally.

The first reason this type of advising is so challenging today is the lack of

a standard vocabulary in the field. A 2001 article on the state of career

counseling aptly described the situation: “One of the main obstacles facing

school and career counselors is that, as of yet, there is no single, unified

theory or approach that adequately explains the career development

process. As a result, counselors are often overwhelmed by a seemingly

incomprehensible amount of information on a number of different

approaches to career development.”9 This is even more the case in 2018.

Pulled in a thousand different directions, attempting to learn dozens of

approaches in order to help their students, it’s no wonder that counselors

aren’t able to work as effectively as they could. There must be a single,

accepted standard from which advisors can operate and communicate.

Career counseling departments also commonly have very limited

resources. Student mentorship is a vastly underappreciated area

nationwide. The Atlantic reported on a recent national survey that

“asked what, if taxes were raised to improve local public schools,

the money should be spent on first.” Essentially, this questionnaire

demonstrated what most Americans prioritize in the sphere of education.

Unfortunately, of all the options, “counselors came last, with just 6 percent

of” respondents saying they’d like funding to go to counselors first.

Furthermore, The Atlantic noted that “counselors are overburdened by

huge caseloads,” and there are “almost 850,000 students who, according to


85%of first-year students agree that “studying in a field that really interests me” was an important motivator for enrolling in higher education.


federal data, have no access to a counselor at all.”10 This means they never

have the opportunity to even begin the process of contemplating and

planning for their career choices.

Even when students do have a school counselor to turn to for advice as

they transition into the world of work, it’s likely that their mentors are

overextended. For instance,“the American School Counselor Association

recommends a ratio of 1-to-250,” meaning a single counselor should not

be assigned to help more than 250 students.11 However, in reality, “the

median caseload of advisees per full-time advisor is 296 – and for large

institutions, it climbs up to 600.”12 As these imbalanced ratios regarding

school counselors show, career counseling, student services, and academic

advising departments are desperately overextended, which makes the

need for definitive guidelines even more dire.

Adding insult to injury is the fact that, while their importance is often

ignored, career counseling services would suit students’ specific needs.

The Hechinger Report showcases this contradiction by citing two statistics

– there has been an “11.4% reduction in career services budgets, yet

85% of students cite getting a good job as a ‘critical’ reason for going to

college.”13 If properly appointed, career counseling, student services, and

academic advising departments could provide exactly what high school

and college students want from their education.

These factors considered, career counseling is not as successful as it

could be today. The obstacles the field faces are cyclical. Counselors

wrestle with unclear standards, ill-defined vocabularies, and restricted

budgets, making it difficult for them to do their jobs. Students are,

to some degree, aware of these weak points. The strained service,

confusing communication, and lack of actionable results make students

less inclined to partake in career counseling, which further exacerbates

the problem. While this is an unfortunate dynamic, it can be repaired

by streamlining, standardizing, and simplifying the career counseling

process with the correct technologies.

UNDERSTANDING AND INSPIRING STUDENTSIn order to successfully pursue their passions, students need a way to

better understand themselves and a standard vocabulary with which to

discuss their interests with their career counselors. Career exploration

systems, like the VitaNavis® platform, use proven standards and

innovative technology to make this a reality. If career counselors and

students currently feel as if they are wandering in the dark toward the

world of work, our platform provides a lighted pathway.

Career exploration involves helping students understand how their

personality traits and interests suit them in a professional context. As

Socrates once said, “To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom,” and

this is certainly true when it comes to working life. Furthermore, career

exploration offers students a means to discover specific careers in

alignment with their characteristics and interests. Comprehending and

guiding what a student wants, how he or she functions, and why he or


85% of students cite getting a good job as a ‘critical’ reason for going to colege.


she makes certain decisions can greatly help career counselors enhance

their efficacy.

In fact, a wide variety of research indicates that interests are a productive

foundation for career development tools. A study published in Current

Directions in Psychological Science found that interests spur action and,

given this quality, “research on interest” should be applied to “practical

problems of learning, education, and motivation,” all of which are key

factors in career counseling.14 Continuing this research, a 2014 meta-

analysis “revealed the power of interests to predict educational and

occupational choice, performance, and success,” suggesting that interests

are the keys to a useful career exploration tool.15

Career assessments have been using interests to give students insights

for nearly a century. The interest-based tool, the Strong Interest Inventory®

assessment, as well as the newest SuperStrong® tool derived from it, has

been used for over 90 years. As the research on interests has advanced,

CPP Innovation Labs (a division of CPP – The Myers-Briggs® Company) has

built on the power of assessments and data to develop a robust career

exploration system with the VitaNavis platform. The platform and the

assessments available through it are informed by decades of research and

market feedback to help students achieve the best possible outcomes as

they learn about both themselves and their work options.

More recent educational research suggests that career exploration is

so vital that it should actually begin in middle school. A 2013 piece in

Middle School Journal asserts: “Middle level educators must find ways to

integrate postsecondary education and career exploration throughout the

curriculum.” The article highlights the fact that many younger students

have little to no awareness of how their education relates to their future

work life, since “in a study of sixth and ninth grade students’ career

development awareness, only about half could identify a skill needed for

career success.”

In order to address this issue, the Middle School Journal article advocates

for “online career education resources.” This reflects the importance of


integrating career exploration with digital technology to improve students’

understanding of themselves and their future in the workplace. The

authors of the publication specifically encourage middle level educators

to use “the Occupational Information Network, known as O*Net OnLine”

because it “provides a wide variety of useful information for hundreds

of career fields.” This database allows users to “search for careers that

require specific skills instead of reading about one type of occupation at a

time,” with an additional emphasis on “careers associated with the green

economy and careers that are going to be in high demand in the future” so

that users can look for “promising careers” that have “a bright outlook for

future demand.”16 O*Net provides a practical look at viable options in an

ever-changing professional world. While simply reviewing this information

can be invaluable for students, the VitaNavis platform takes O*Net several

steps further by making its data actionable.

One of the primary advantages of career exploration tools is that these

motivate students to thoroughly consider many options, including and

especially occupations they may have never even thought of. For instance,

the young woman who grew up wanting to be a veterinarian may find out

that her personality attributes and interests actually make her well-suited

to scientific research, or the young man who always wanted to be an actor

may discover his enterprising nature (based on RIASEC framework) could

allow him to excel as a manager instead. Career exploration tools are not

meant to dictate what students decide to do with their lives; rather, they

help students come to an increased awareness of themselves and their

potential professional pathways. Furnished with an appreciation of their

aptitudes and choices, users can make fully informed decisions about their

futures.


More recent educational research suggests that career exploration is so vital that it should actually begin in middle school.


VitaNavis is part of a mission focused on leveling the playing field in

education. The platform is designed to provide more universal

access to assessments and career search, particularly to

underserved students, many of whom only know of retail

or food services jobs, or whose families, based on cultural

nuances, may push them to pursue career paths which

may not align with the student’s interests and skill sets.

The VitaNavis platform introduces them to previously

unexplored possibilities so they aren’t limited by lack

of knowledge. So, while career exploration tools can be

transformative for students from all backgrounds, they

are especially life-changing for students who can for the first

time begin to visualize their occupational ambitions in a more

informed fashion. With their aims established, they can ultimately

achieve them through mapping their education plans with academic

advisors and engaging more fully in their pursuits to reach their goals.

In addition to helping disadvantaged students, research indicates that

career exploration programs may also be distinctly helpful for students

who are less academically inclined. Pupils who aren’t as engaged in their

coursework appear less likely to consider and strive for a variety of career

opportunities. Career exploration engages these students and encourages

them to consider how their schoolwork could actually be related to

what they want to do in life. Once they understand how their academic

performance correlates with their personal goals and desires, they appear

more willing to engage in school. Furthermore, students who are not high-

achieving academically may (wrongly) assume they lack the necessary

traits to succeed in their field of choice, and the career exploration process

can dispel that. In addition, some may not have given much thought (if any)

to their professional life after they finish high school, so simply recognizing

their options could galvanize them to become more involved in their

education.

A Phi Delta Kappan article published on this topic explained: “Our study

provides evidence that [career exploration programs] can be a useful


strategy for keeping students in high school and preparing them for

further study or training.” In short, this study found that participating

in career exploration programs helped keep less academically stellar

students on track, likely because they could understand how their

coursework was preparing them for the professional life they desired. As

the piece put it: “Schools need to be able to engage, inspire, and advance

students with every kind of interest and ability, including those not highly

motivated by academic study. The evidence that is emerging suggests that

career exploration programs are one way to accomplish just that.”17

Mary G. Visher, Rajika Bhandari, Elliot Medrich. Oct. 2004. The Phi Delta Kappan, Vol. 86, No. 2

“Schools need to be able to engage, inspire, and advance students with every kind of interest and ability, including those not highly motivated by academic study. The evidence that is emerging suggests that career exploration programs are one way to accomplish just that.”

Career exploration tools don’t just broaden students’ understandings of

themselves and their professional potential – by virtue of their design and

methodology, these systems encourage students to shift their approaches

to finding work. A 2008 report in Professional School Counseling concluded:

“we must explore who we are and what our purpose is, determine what we

find meaningful, and understand our [attributes] in order to develop a truly

satisfying career.”18 Career exploration systems are fruitful for students in

myriad ways, including causing them to assess their assumptions about

how their professional lives “have to” or “should” be.

Unfortunately, students are burdened with erroneous ideas about how

their career paths are likely to go, at both a conceptual and a practical level.

While many assume students inherently understand the world of work

and can figure out their occupations on their own, this simply isn’t true.

For example, The Guardian recently reported: “Students have an unrealistic

expectation of their job prospects on graduating, a survey has found.


The Student Employability Index, which questioned 4,000 students

at 20 universities, finds almost three-quarters (79%) expect to be in

a graduate-level job within six months. But government figures show

that only around half (53%) of those who graduated within the past

five years are in such jobs.”19 Understanding their personalities and

interests, as well as how these traits correlate to growing job sectors,

can help students form a more practical picture of their professional

future.

Furthermore, evidence hints that adjusting their expectations may

actually help students excel in their occupations and gain promotions

faster. An article published in Studies in Higher Education discussed

college students’ educational performance and “suggested that a

realistic expectation of undergraduate study, where the student took

responsibility for their own learning, predicted higher end-of-semester

marks...These findings suggest that measures taken to encourage a

realistic expectation of the nature of undergraduate study and boost

academic behavioural confidence may benefit students’ performance

at [the] university.”20 If correctly comprehending their undergraduate

responsibilities and outcomes helps students succeed in college, it

follows that more accurate expectations for their professional life

would allow them to flourish in their occupations, as well. Career

exploration tools like the VitaNavis platform give students the insights

they need to foster productive, realistic discussions with their career

counselors about their futures. By having more information about

their possibilities and fully engaging with the caring educators who are

there to help them, students can truly take “responsibility for their own

learning,” beyond academics and into the professional sphere.

The basis for every benefit of career exploration is ultimately

standardization. These tools give students and career counselors a

set of shared, essential understandings from which to operate. In the

process of using these instruments, both students and counselors

better comprehend students’ interests, viable job opportunities, and

the process of finding fulfilling work.

Career exploration tools like the VitaNavis platform give students the insights they need to foster productive, realistic discussions with their career counselors about their futures


Perhaps most importantly, career exploration systems give

students and counselors a common vocabulary with which

to discuss careers, address concerns, and strategize.

Career exploration materials greatly reduce the

margin of error for communications between career

counselors and students. When a student discusses

one of his or her interests or traits, the counselor

knows exactly what he or she means because

the career exploration system clearly defines this

characteristic. When a counselor proposes that a

student consider a certain career path, the student can

better understand why and research it using O*Net data

and other tools related to the career exploration system. Career

exploration tools put students and college counselors on the same

page – or screen, as the case may be with state-of-the-art digital tools

systems like VitaNavis.

A 2015 article published by the American Sociological Association explains

that a study found “distrust between counselors and students is due to a

lack of shared understanding regarding expectations and roles.” Equipped

with right vocabulary, expectations, information, and tools, career

counselors can build trust with their students and better guide them

through the oft-daunting process of finding the right career.

SUPPORTING AND ENHANCING EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMESIn the previous section, we detailed how career exploration tools can solve

some of the most challenging quandaries career counselors currently face.

However, in addition to repairing and resolving problems in modern career

counseling, career exploration tools also offer a host of clear advantages,

actively strengthening this system. Such tools are necessary to not only fix

the problems in contemporary career counseling, but elevate the field to

higher heights than ever imagined with our advanced technology.


First of all, career exploration tools serve more than just student success.

Having a standardized tool from which to operate helps teachers support

each other in helping their pupils. They share a common vocabulary and

knowledge base with both their students and their colleagues, allowing

them to create a cooperative, rewarding network. As a piece in Middle

School Journal explains: “online career education resources... can be

beneficial to teachers and other school-based professionals, including

administrators and counselors, who wish to learn more about careers.”

Career exploration platforms like VitaNavis allow teachers, counselors, and

administrators to engage in continued education about the world of work,

opening their eyes to occupational options for their students. This saves

them from having to do extensive research on the latest job trends just to

keep pace.

In addition, the journal article points out: “these sites also allow for

collaboration with other teachers throughout the country and around the

world.”21 As well as offering the direct benefits of career exploration tools

for educators, these systems also create an interconnected, cooperative

network of users who can rely on and learn from each other. The shared

vocabulary that helps career counselors connect with their students also

allows them to forge fruitful relationships with their colleagues. With

VitaNavis as a common reference point, teachers, career counselors,

administrators, and relevant professionals can work together, providing

each other with insights, use cases, and other support.

Career exploration tools also give both educators and students the

valuable information they need to align their current curricula with

their future goals. Especially if educational institutions implement these

solutions early on in a student’s career (such as middle school), students,

career counselors, and teachers can help create an academic pathway that

sets the student up for success. For example, if a student learned from a

career exploration tool that she would be suited for a career in medicine,

she could plan on taking more elective science courses and volunteering at

a local hospital. Similarly, if a student discovered that he would enjoy being


an electrician, he could choose to take a more advanced physics class and

begin apprenticing with a local professional in his area.

With this type of professional planning in place, evidence demonstrates

that students are more likely to earn their degrees on time. Especially

in the current educational environment, this is a significant benefit.

According to a report from Complete College America, “far too often,

students in American higher education wander aimlessly, picking from a

smorgasbord of courses and degree requirements rather than choosing a

clearly-articulated, full program of study.” Therefore, “the vast majority of

college students do not graduate on time” and “many never graduate.” Of

course, one of the primary reasons this problem plagues undergraduates

is that they lack the information and guidance to put together a “clearly-

articulated” program of study geared toward their occupational interests.

Career exploration tools fill in these knowledge gaps so students can

confidently plan and complete their programs. As Complete College

America explains, a “purpose first” approach is key: “provide students

opportunities to evaluate their interests and explore career options,

using labor-market data to reveal trends and possibilities.”22 The VitaNavis

platform provides exactly the data students need to successfully carry out

their studies.

The VitaNavis platform

provides exactly the

data students need to

successfully carry out

their studies.


In addition to the productive conversations it fosters, the VitaNavis

solution offers resources to help direct students on their educational

and occupational pathways. The platform gives users further insight into

their interests and personality, and abilities through reliable and valid

assessments. Users who have taken the career exploration assessment

through the platform are presented with potentially compatible career

paths based on their corresponding interest theme (RIASEC) codes. If

they’re drawn to a particular profession, we provide more information

about the job outlook, skills required, and education that corresponds to

it, based on the latest O*NET, BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics), and the

Department of Education’s IPEDs (Integrated Postsecondary Education

Data System) data. From there, it drills down into personality aspects that

are key to focus on (and develop) for the workforce. In short, VitaNavis sets

students up with a detailed roadmap for their futures.

With the right career exploration tools, educators, students, career

counselors, CAOs (Chief Academic Officers), Chiefs of Student Services, and

other administrators can not only overcome the barriers this field faces,

but develop more informed curriculums and set data-driven goals to help

their students and organizations truly thrive.

A STANDARDIZED SOLUTION TO CAREER EXPLORATIONWhen it comes to combating the problems facing career counseling today

and empowering students to enhance their occupational outcomes,

any career exploration tool is better than none. However, not all career

exploration tools are created equal. A truly successful system would

synthesize decades of established research, innovative technology, an up-

to-the-minute database on the world of work, and an interface designed

to smoothly guide users through all of these resources. VitaNavis delivers

the shared vocabulary career counselors, educators, administrators, and

students urgently need, packaging them in a beautiful, interactive platform

that makes the most of everything career exploration tools have to offer.


In addition to providing every benefit discussed in prior pages, VitaNavis is

offered in both English and Spanish with several exceptional advantages.

These include:

• An intuitive interface. When they log in, students are guided

through a set of questions designed to pinpoint their interests and

personality traits. This is powered by the SuperStrong® assessment

(based on the Strong Interest Inventory tool). This process takes less

than 10 minutes on average and can be done on a mobile device as

well as a computer.

• Nuanced observations. Rather than simply finding out which jobs

are popular today or being lumped into a broad, vague category of

interest, students answer a series of work style scales. By asking,

for example, whether they prefer to learn through lecture versus

reading a book or if they tend to take risks versus maintaining a

cautious approach, VitaNavis gains valuable, actionable insights

about users. Upon concluding the assessment, the platform presents

students with their occupational themes (areas that might interest

them), personal styles (i.e. leadership, teamwork, etc.) based on

sliding scales, and career interests (specific occupations they might

choose to further research in our detailed database).

• A network of supplementary resources based on and beyond

the assessment. VitaNavis is integrated with leading occupational

databases like O*Net, BLS, and the Department of Education’s

IPEDS in order to help students access the latest information on

occupations that suit their interests. Furthermore, VitaNavis links

with your academic institution’s offered programs and contact

information, encouraging students to discover new opportunities.

• A model backed by decades of research. The Strong Interest

Inventory assessment is based on decades of research. In addition,

the SuperStrong® assessment was derived from it with advanced

data science, using novel statistical methods to develop scoring

algorithms. Extensive comparison studies have been conducted


to ensure validity, reliability, and accuracy of the SuperStrong®

assessment.

Another telling measure of potential impact lies in student reaction to

available tools. In self-reported data from VitaNavis partner institutions,

students’ responses when surveyed, indicate that 90 percent of students

said “this was a valuable experience,” 97 percent said they had a “clear

understanding of [their] results”, 85 percent became “aware of more

major options,” and 89 percent felt “better equipped to make decisions”

about their occupations.23 In Latin, “vita navis” translates literally to “life

ship.” With this career exploration tool at your disposal, students can

confidently set sail into their professional lives.

EXPLORE VITANAVISIn the rapidly-evolving twenty-first century world of work, students need

clear, productive guidance to help them find their way. Although career

counseling is more vital than ever, its value is often underestimated. As

career counselors, academic advisors, student services representatives,

and other education professionals grapple with this, students

become disheartened, only worsening the issue. Furthermore,

misunderstandings between students and advisors mar what could be

one of the most important mentoring relationships they’ll forge.

Fortunately, research and practice demonstrate that career exploration

tools offer a simple, streamlined, successful solution to the challenges

facing career counseling. By giving students and counselors a standard

vocabulary to use, career exploration tools can reignite pupils’ passion

for pursuing their future occupations and provide career counselors

with actionable tools to help them. With an effective career exploration

tool, career counseling departments can not only repair themselves, but

become stronger than they’ve ever been.

Backed by decades of research, powered by an approachable interface,

and bolstered by a network of supplementary resources, the VitaNavis

platform gives students the detailed observations they need to pursue

What are students saying about their experience with Vitanavis?

90% said “this was a valuable experience”

85% became “aware of more major options”

89% felt “better equipped to make decisions”


the correct careers for them. Most importantly, the VitaNavis platform

offers a standard, compelling method for career counselors and students

to engage with each other, benefitting all involved.

To explore VitaNavis for yourself, sign up for a free trial or register for one

of our weekly webinars.


REFERENCES 1. Nazerian, Tina. “New Survey Says Only a Third of College

Students Feel Prepared for Job Market and Workplace – EdSurge News.” EdSurge, EdSurge, 13 Mar. 2018, www.edsurge.com/news/2018-01-17-new-survey-says- only-a-third-of-college-students-feel-prepared-for-job- market-and-workplace.

2. Leal, Fermin. “Survey: Most High School Students Feel Unprepared for College, Careers.” EdSurge, edsource.org/2015/survey-most-high-school-students-feel-unprepared-for-college-careers/83752.

3. Donachie, Pat. “Report: College Students Don’t Feel Prepared for Careers, but Are Optimistic about Job Prospects.” Education Dive, 10 May 2017. www.educationdive.com/news/report-college-students-dont-feel-prepared-for-careers-but-are-optimisti/442387/.

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6. Selingo, Jeffrey J. “Opinion | Why Are so Many Students Failing to Find Good Jobs after College?” The Washington Post, WP Company, 16 Dec. 2016, www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2016/12/16/why-are-so-many-students-failing-to-find-good-jobs-after-college/?noredirect=on.

7. Barker, John and Satcher, Jamie. “School Counselors’ Perceptions of Required Workplace Skills and Career Development Competencies.” Professional School Counseling, Vol. 4, No. 2, SPECIAL ISSUE: School Violence and Counselors (December 2000). Dec. 2000, pp. 134-139.

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10. Murphy, James S. “The Undervaluing of School Counselors.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 19 Sept. 2016, www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/09/the-neglected-link-in-the-high-school-to-college-pipeline/500213/.

11. “Student-to-School-Counselor Ratio 2015-2016.” American School Counselor Organization, American School Counselor Organization, www.schoolcounselor.org/asca/media/asca/home/Ratios15-16.pdf.

12. Pierce, Lindsey. “The Case for a Case Management Approach in Advising Academically Underprepared Students.” NACADA, www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Academic-Advising-Today/View-Articles/The-Case-for-a-Case-Management-Approach-in-Advising-Academically-Underprepared-Students.aspx.

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16. Curry, Jennifer R.; Belser, Christopher T.; Binns, Ian C. “Integrating postsecondary college and career options in the middle level curriculum: Middle level educators must find ways to integrate postsecondary education and career exploration throughout the curriculum.” Middle School Journal, Vol. 44, No. 3 (January 2013). Jan 2013, pp. 26-32.

17. Visher, Mary G.; Bhandari, Rajika; Medrich, Elliot. “High School Career Exploration Programs: Do They Work?” The Phi Delta Kappan, Vol. 86, No. 2 (Oct. 2004). Oct 2004, pp. 135-138.

18. Kosine, Natalie R.; Steger, Michael F.; Duncan, Sandra. “Purpose-Centered Development: A Strengths-Based Approach to Finding Meaning and Purpose in Careers.” Professional School Counseling, Vol. 12, No. 2, SPECIAL ISSUE: STRENGTHS-BASED SCHOOL COUNSELING (DECEMBER 2008). Dec. 2008, pp. 133-136.

19. Thomas, Kim. “Students Expect Better Jobs than They’ll Get, Survey Shows.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 26 June 2014, www.theguardian.com/education/2014/jun/26/student-unrealistic-job-expectations.

20. Nicholson, Laura; Putwain, David; Connors, Liz; Hornby-Atkinson, Pat. “The key to successful achievement as an undergraduate student: confidence and realistic expectations?” Studies in Higher Education, pp. 285-298. 22 Aug. 2011.

21. Curry, Jennifer R.; Belser, Christopher T.; Binns, Ian C. “Integrating postsecondary college and career options in the middle level curriculum: Middle level educators must find ways to integrate postsecondary education and career exploration throughout the curriculum.” Middle School Journal, Vol. 44, No. 3 (January 2013). Jan 2013, pp. 26-32.

22. “Academic Maps with Proactive Advising.” Complete College America, completecollege.org/strategy/academic-maps-with-proactive-advising/.

23. Mackey, Chris. “Build the Workforce of Tomorrow with the SuperStrong® Assessment.” CPP Innovation Labs.

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Establishing a Standard Vocabulary for Career Exploration